72 | CONTRACTING Grass Cutting Services Second Nature Phone: 022 573 8030 | A: 295 Jellicoe Street, Te Puke | E: sales@boptractors.co.nz TRACTOR & MACHINERY SALES (NEW & USED) GENUINE & AFTERMARKET PARTS SERVICES & REPAIRS OF ALL MAKES & MODELS 97A Wairoa Road, RD1, Tauranga 3171 0800 99 39 39 fcoffice.fullcircle@gmail.com www.fullcircletrees.co.nz Full Circle offer vegetation management services that cover all Arboriculture Services (pruning, reductions, felling, dismantles etc), Site Restorations (including earthworks, pest plant control, planting plans, sourcing and planting plants) and Coastal Restorations (dune and native vegetation restoration and ongoing maintenance). We have bespoke herbicide systems that utilise selective herbicides to reduce chemical application without reducing effectiveness, alongside experienced climbers and abseilers to enable control in difficult to access sites. Your palette for landscapes, since 1973 sales@ardmorenurseries.co.nz PH: 09 292 8661 ardmorenurseries.co.nz Suppliers of quality plants to retailers and the landscape industry Proudly supporting Second Nature Landscapes 0274 734 379 bakerboysnursery@xtra.co.nz 60 Stanners Road R.D.2, Kerikeri 0295 Lawns just one aspect Technology is helping the team manage increasingly complex contracts. T T Kelly Deeks Winning skills on display T T Sue Russell Grass Cutting Services is looking to build on more than two decades of experience in vegetation management as it expands its work across the Western Bay of Plenty. Managing director, Francois De Bruin, says the Tauranga-based business has evolved considerably since his father bought it in 2006, when subdivision mowing made up most of its work. A major shift came when the company secured a contract with Downer to maintain the Western Bay’s urban State Highway network on behalf of NZTA. Grass Cutting Services held that contract for about 20 years, establishing itself as a trusted operator across a demanding roading environment. The company recently lost the contract after Higgins took over from Downer and brought their own contractor with them, but Francois says the change reflects the competitive nature of the industry. “That’s just the nature of the business,” he says. The team at Auckland’s Second Nature landscaping company are extremely proud of a member who recently excelled at the Registered Master Landscapers awards, being named a finalist in the ‘Young Landscaper of the Year’ category. Eugene Andersen, Construction Division Manager, says Richard Brahne exemplifies all the fine qualities that go into making a great landscaper. “This is such a worthy recognition for Richard, who has pretty much been with us since he left school over 10 years ago. We could see his potential early on and it wasn’t long before he was running his own jobs; that’s the measure of his capabilities,” Eugene says. He’s also been extremely diligent from the outset, demonstrating the sort of commitment and drive to want to learn as much as he can. The competition, for leading landscape professionals aged 30 years and younger, is an intense and unforgiving test of physical skills and mental resilience, with the day built around ten practical stations, covering tests from machinery operation and paving to design, plant identification, quantifying materials as well as a spoken presentation. “It’s a moment where viewers can watch fine trades skills displayed to reach an outcome under pressure and there’s a strong element “We held that contract for 20 years, and we were proud of that.” Grass Cutting Services began working with Western Bay of Plenty District Council in 2023, a relationship that has since developed into a significant part of the business. Francois bought the company in 2024 and says it now predominantly provides vegetation services for the council’s transport division. The work extends well beyond mowing, covering pest plant control, arborist services, storm damage, spraying, and other vegetation related requirements. The company also works with Colliers on properties owned by NZTA, as well as taking on smaller jobs for a range of clients. Technology is helping the team manage increasingly complex contracts. Grass Cutting Services uses the RAMM Asset Work Manager system with Western Bay, giving operators access to asset locations and allowing them to record before and after photographs. Equipment remains another important part of the operation, with the company running John Deere ride-on mowers, commercial tractors, and Trimax tractor-mounted mowing equipment. of problem solving and thinking on your feet as professional landscapers constantly do.” The Young Landscaper of the Year competition is held every two years with many competitors going on to cement long and successful careers in the exciting industry. Second Nature Gardens has experienced its own share of national awards recognition, with the most recent as recipients of the National Supreme Award for its ‘Urban Sanctuary’ Ponsonby garden project, also winning both Best Softscape and Best Maintenance Project accolades. “One of the core aspects to being a fine landscaper is being a jack-of-all-trades,” Eugene says. Those skills were certainly put to the test during the competition, held in September in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens where Richard, along with other regional finalists in the category could showcase their wide array of abilities. Designed by highly regarded landscape designer Damian Wendelborn and constructed by the Second Nature team, ‘Urban Sanctuary’ celebrated the style of Italian designer Luciano Giubbilei, blending natural rock features, thoughtful planting with open lawn spaces. “It was a fantastic project to be involved with and our maintenance division has ongoing responsibility to care for the garden as it evolves.” Urban Sanctuary’ celebrated the style of Italian designer Luciano Giubbilei.
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